In recent times there has been an explosion in the popularity of pop culture cookbooks, that is cooking books associated with or inspired by specific movies and television shows.
One of the reasons there is an endlessly growing list of such cookbooks is that after being immersed in the worlds created by those shows, fans seem to want to continue their association with them by preparing various foods that were a part of the narrative.
According to an article in the website thetakeout.com, pop culture cookbooks first appeared in the 1970s with titles such as Little House on the Prairie Cookbook and The Partridge Family Cookbook. For years, such collections were considered novelty items—something akin to a coffee table book, pretty to look at but not necessarily cook from. However, in the mid-2000s, The Sopranos Family Cookbook (2002) ended up selling more than 142,000 copies. Meanwhile, The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (2010) sold more than a million copies, giving the publishing world a firm indicator that there might be a market for pop culture cookbooks after all.
According to a New York Times article by Priya Krishna from October 2021, “Of late, these books have grown significantly in popularity and scale. They’ve found a mainstream audience, and contain recipes that many people actually want to cook.”
Pop culture cookbooks essentially became “encyclopedic examinations of the universe of a show, movie or game — with recipes,” as the Times puts it and are popular with fans of the show and collectors. Priya Krishna writes “as fan cultures have deepened, these cookbooks have evolved, too. Less prevalent are the ones that simply name recipes after characters. Today’s pop-culture cookbooks are heavily researched tomes about their fictional worlds. They consider climates and character motivations. They fill in gaps in the narrative. Authors pore over every element — down to the props in recipe photos — so fans can feel fully immersed.”
So if you are looking for some cooking inspiration and want to continue to be immersed in your favorite show or movie, try one or more of these titles available to borrow with your Livingston Library card.
The Best Of America’s Test Kitchen 2021 : Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, And Tastings
Black Panther : The Official Wakanda Cookbook
Cocktail Chemistry : The Art And Science Of Drinks From Iconic TV Shows And Movies
The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook : Every Recipe snd Every Review From All Twelve Seasons
Cook It, Spill It, Throw It : The Not-So-Real Housewives Parody Cookbook
Cooking For Wizards, Warriors and Dragons
Friends: The Television Series: The Official Cookbook
Gilmore Girls: The Official Cookbook
The Great British Baking Show: Love to Bake
The “I love Lucy” Cookbook: Classic Recipes Inspired by The Iconic TV Show
The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook
The Official Harry Potter Baking Book 40+ Recipes Inspired by the Films
Peaky Blinders Cookbook: 50 Recipes Selected By The Shelby Company Ltd
Recipes For Royals: An Unofficial Cookbook For Fans Of The Crown
The Sopranos Family Cookbook As Compiled By Artie Bucco
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents 10 Summertime Treats
-Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian